The Caer Falken Inn

I had several options come to mind, but I have narrowed it down to two.

The first one is Delnarith Winterthorn-Elven Paladin of the Order of the Constant Star. Actually, this is a Character I played before at CF, (Don't know if you guys remember him) who happens to be 7th level, he comes with a full history and such already.

I figure there are two options for introducing him to the Isle.
1) I had hoped to eventually have him get a pegasus as a holy mount, but was told that would require a quest. Fair enough, perhaps the Star Goddess has told him this place is where he should go if he seeks the creature.

2) He was at the CF inn, alone, when a certain story teller told him of a tale, one that he would have to return from himself "If he choose to return at all". Hearing of the dangers of a brave group of locals, the ambush they were suffering, he agreed to help them, was swept into the tale...and finds himself meeting the group.

Delnarith Winterthorn, Male Elf, High Pal7: CR 7; Medium Humanoid (Elf); HD 7d10+21(Paladin) ; hp 81; Init +6; Spd 30; AC:22 (Flatfooted:20 Touch:12); Atk +10/5 base melee, +9/4 base ranged; +9/4 (1d6, Shortbow); +11/6 (1d8+4, +1 Longsword); +10/5 (1d8+3, Mace, heavy); SQ: Immunity: Sleep Effects (Ex), Low-light Vision (Ex), +2 Saves vs. Enchantment Spells and Effects; AL LG; SV Fort +11, Ref +7, Will +8; STR 16, DEX 15, CON 16, INT 11, WIS 16, CHA 14.
Skills: Concentration +5, Diplomacy +5, Handle Animal +3, Heal +5, Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) +2, Knowledge (Religion) +4, Listen +5, Ride +3, Search +2, Sense Motive +8, Spot +5.

Feats: Armor Proficiency: heavy, Armor Proficiency: light, Armor Proficiency: medium, Cleave, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency.
Spells Known (Pal --/2): 1st -- Bless, Bless Water, Bless Weapon, Create Water, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Poison, Detect Undead, Divine Favor, Endure Elements, Magic Weapon, Protection from Chaos, Protection from Evil, Read Magic, Resistance, Restoration, Lesser, Virtue; 2nd -- Bull`s Strength, Delay Poison, Eagle`s Splendor, Owl`s Wisdom, Remove Paralysis, Resist Energy, Shield Other, Undetectable Alignment, Zone of Truth; 3rd -- Cure Moderate Wounds, Daylight, Discern Lies, Dispel Magic, Heal Mount, Magic Circle against Chaos, Magic Circle against Evil, Magic Weapon, Greater, Prayer, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Remove Curse; 4th -- Break Enchantment, Cure Serious Wounds, Death Ward, Dispel Chaos, Dispel Evil, Holy Sword, Mark of Justice, Neutralize Poison, Restoration.
Spells Prepared (Pal --/2): 1st - Cure Light Wounds, Restoration, Lesser.
Possessions:
Weapons: Shortbow (30 gp); Arrows (20) (1 gp); +1 Longsword (2,315 gp); Mace, heavy (12 gp).
Armor: +2 Elven Chain: Ghost Touch (29,150 gp).
Shields: +1 Shield, heavy steel (1,170 gp).
Goods: Pouch, belt (1 gp); Holy symbol, wooden (1 gp); Coin: gp (1787) (1,787 gp).
Magic: Wondrous: Cloak of Resistance +1 (1,000 gp); Wondrous: Amulet of Health +2 (4,000 gp); Ring: Feather Falling (2,200 gp).

..........
Option 2
While I've played a druid , I have never played a gnome
so Razlan Rockglen came to mind.

Cool points include he can actually have a sperm whale/cacholot as a companion. Personal geeking, I have always thought those creatures kicked ass.

His background, roughly, is this:
All gnomes are nature lovers, but few more than Clan Rockglen. Through out history they've been hermits, rangers, wilderness loving bards, and yes, even druids. Razlan, called Raz, seemed to prefer the living earth to the gems that arose from it, and his calling was soon apparent to the others. While socialable for a time, he would often leave to go off into the wilderness for days. Eventually, he went off to find a patch of land to call a home all his own.

He choose a small island with some interesting caves and woods around it. Sure, there was a human town nearby, but he figured if they didn't bother him, he wouldn't trouble them. He helped the animals, tended to them, and made a happy life for many years. He even befriended some of the nearby sea creatures.

Raz eventually decided to visit the old gnome village, friends and family he hadn't seen in years. He figured ten or so years ought to do it. After all, what's ten years to a gnome's life? When Raz came back via whale back, he was sure he'd see the animals' children and grand children and everything would be a wonderful surprise again.

Well, it was a surprise. Trogs has ruined the place, kobolds too. While slow to anger, Raz felt his blood boiling at the sight of some of the filth those creatures left behind.

THen he heard the sounds of battle...

(Seems like a quick way to bring him in )

Razlan Rockglen, Male Gnome, Rock Drd7: CR 7; Small Humanoid (Gnome); HD 7d8+7(Druid) ; hp 49; Init +2; Spd 20; AC:13 (Flatfooted:11 Touch:13); Atk +7 base melee, +8 base ranged; SA: Spell-like Abilities Speak with Animals 3 1 Dancing Lights 1 1 Ghost Sound 1 1 Prestidigitation 1 1 ; SQ: Low-light Vision (Ex), +4 Dodge Bonus to AC vs. Giants, Weapon Familiarity (Ex), +1 Attack vs. Kobolds and Goblinoids; RF: +2 bonus for saves against illusions, Spell Like Ability: 1/day Speak with Animals (Burrowing mammal only, 1 minute), Spell Like Ability - If Charisma is over 10 - 1/day: Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation; AL NG; SV Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +9; STR 12, DEX 14, CON 13, INT 11, WIS 18, CHA 15.
Skills: Concentration +7, Craft (Alchemy) +0, Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +5, Heal +7, Hide +6, Knowledge (Nature) +9, Knowledge (Religion) +1, Listen +10, Profession (Herbalist) +7, Ride +4, Spellcraft +3, Spot +9, Survival +9, Swim +2.

Feats: Alertness, Armor Proficiency: light, Armor Proficiency: medium, Natural Spell, Shield Proficiency, Track.
Spells Known (Drd 6/5/4/3/2): 0 -- Create Water, Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Flare, Guidance, Know Direction, Light, Mending, Purify Food and Drink, Read Magic, Resistance, Virtue; 1st -- Calm Animals, Charm Animal, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Animals or Plants, Detect Snares and Pits, Endure Elements, Entangle, Faerie Fire, Goodberry, Hide from Animals, Jump, Longstrider, Magic Fang, Magic Stone, Obscuring Mist, Pass without Trace, Produce Flame, Shillelagh, Speak with Animals, Summon Nature`s Ally I; 2nd -- Animal Messenger, Animal Trance, Barkskin, Bear`s Endurance, Bull`s Strength, Cat`s Grace, Chill Metal, Delay Poison, Fire Trap, Flame Blade, Flaming Sphere, Fog Cloud, Gust of Wind, Heat Metal, Hold Animal, Owl`s Wisdom, Reduce Animal, Resist Energy, Restoration, Lesser, Soften Earth and Stone, Spider Climb, Summon Nature`s Ally II, Summon Swarm, Tree Shape, Warp Wood, Wood Shape; 3rd -- Call Lightning, Contagion, Cure Moderate Wounds, Daylight, Diminish Plants, Dominate Animal, Magic Fang, Greater, Meld into Stone, Neutralize Poison, Plant Growth, Poison, Protection from Energy, Quench, Remove Disease, Sleet Storm, Snare, Speak with Plants, Spike Growth, Stone Shape, Summon Nature`s Ally III, Water Breathing, Wind Wall; 4th -- Air Walk, Antiplant Shell, Blight, Command Plants, Control Water, Cure Serious Wounds, Dispel Magic, Flame Strike, Freedom of Movement, Giant Vermin, Ice Storm, Reincarnate, Repel Vermin, Rusting Grasp, Scrying, Spike Stones, Summon Nature`s Ally IV; 5th -- Animal Growth, Atonement, Awaken, Baleful Polymorph, Call Lightning Storm, Commune with Nature, Control Winds, Cure Critical Wounds, Death Ward, Hallow, Insect Plague, Stoneskin, Summon Nature`s Ally V, Transmute Mud to Rock, Transmute Rock to Mud, Tree Stride, Unhallow, Wall of Fire, Wall of Thorns; 6th -- Antilife Shell, Bear`s Endurance, Mass, Bull`s Strength, Mass, Cat`s Grace, Mass, Cure Light Wounds, Mass, Dispel Magic, Greater, Find the Path, Fire Seeds, Ironwood, Liveoak, Move Earth, Owl`s Wisdom, Mass, Repel Wood, Spellstaff, Stone Tell, Summon Nature`s Ally VI, Transport via Plants, Wall of Stone; 7th -- Animate Plants, Changestaff, Control Weather, Creeping Doom, Cure Moderate Wounds, Mass, Fire Storm, Heal, Scrying, Greater, Summon Nature`s Ally VII, Sunbeam, Transmute Metal to Wood, True Seeing, Wind Walk; 8th -- Animal Shapes, Control Plants, Cure Serious Wounds, Mass, Earthquake, Finger of Death, Repel Metal or Stone, Reverse Gravity, Summon Nature`s Ally VIII, Sunburst, Whirlwind, Word of Recall; 9th -- Antipathy, Cure Critical Wounds, Mass, Elemental Swarm, Foresight, Regenerate, Shambler, Shapechange, Storm of Vengeance, Summon Nature`s Ally IX, Sympathy.
Spells Prepared (Drd 6/5/4/3/2): 0 - Cure Minor Wounds x2, Detect Magic, Know Direction, Light, Purify Food and Drink; 1st - Cure Light Wounds x2, Entangle, Faerie Fire, Goodberry; 2nd - Barkskin, Flaming Sphere, Heat Metal, Warp Wood; 3rd - Call Lightning, Cure Moderate Wounds, Neutralize Poison; 4th - Flame Strike, Ice Storm.
Possessions:
Goods: Coin: gp (20) (20 gp).
Thrum, Male Animal, Whale, Cachalot : CR 7; Gargantuan Animal ; HD 16d8+112 ( Animal) ; hp 187; Init + 2; Spd Swim 40; AC 21; Atk + 21 base melee, + 10 base ranged; +21/+16 ( 4d8+13, Bite; 1d8+6, Tail Slap ); SQ: Blindsight (Ex): 120 ft., Hold Breath (Ex), Low-light Vision (Ex); AL N; SV Fort + 17, Ref + 12, Will + 7; STR 37, DEX 15, CON 24, INT 2, WIS 14, CHA 4.
Skills: Listen +15, Spot +14, Swim +21.
Feats: Alertness, Diehard, Endurance, Improved Natural Attack: Bite, Toughness.



He needs gear and magic items (if any of the latter)


I'm good with either character, and wanted your opinions before I picked one.

Either character would work. A paladin can serve as a healer with the lay on of hands ability and availability of cure spells. Also a mobile combat character would complement Agnes. I have plans to make her a Dwarven Defender which means when in the class Defensive Stance she cannot move from her spot, so she'll be virtually a living shield for the weaker party members when things get rough.

Since the campaign is based near the sea, an aquatic druid or ranger fits the theme as well. With a druid's shapeshift ability at higher levels your gnome could become a dolphin or whale for a period of time when we take to the seas.

Eithetr character would work, but thse are my concerns.

A pegasus mount is not a viable consideration for paladin steed on a character at this level. Something like that would not be available until much higher level.


A whale companion sounds nice, but the party does not spend enough time in the water, and companions typically stay with th druid most of the time. Addititionally, your ride and swim figures would need to be bolstered much higher to be a whale rider.

You imply that these caves (or I misunderstand this to be the implication) were former home to gnomes. That is not the case, although gnome settlements a little further inland would work.

I understand the desire to break the cycles of routine and alleviate boredom with exotic characters with unusual traits, but you all may recall that when we started this group, it was with an attempt to get back to basics and keep things simple...I know I wrote that somewhere, I just can't remember where or when.

With tweaking, either character can work, but in a more traditional style, and with the understanding that eccentricities cause disharmony, and one of the reasons you were all originally from the same town was to avoid potential conflict. So whichever you choose, the character would need to endear himself to the party quickly with little cause for suspicion, mistrust or dislike.

I am writing from work, so forgive the bluntness and briefness of this post.

No one else made any comments about the characters so this begs the question: which group are we going with tonight? Technically the Sunset Cove group is not in a lull at the present time. And while I can't speak for Trinity or Ka'Vall, Agnes has a score to settle.

Personally I thought Valley was going to post the new character last weekend so we'd be all set to continue this weekend. If timing allows it for the DM to get this all ironed out, I'm still for the cove crew.

He posted his ideas here to get our input before making the decision.

Both of you ladies are correct. Valley originally said he would post last weekend. But it is clear that he took some time and thought before posting to provide well thought out detailed options, which is likely the reason for the delay.

True, we are in the middle of combat, and so I had full intentions of doing the Cove tonight.

All that remains is for Valley to consider my comments and make a choice and we can play tonight in the Cove. Hopefully we can do it soon, since we are down to the wire.

I was going by my e tools which listed a level 7 as a requirement for a Pegasus, level 8 for Griffon, and so on... that aside, I certainly understand that whatever book my etools is drawing that from comes second to campaign needs and DM judgment. I can easily go with option two where he is sent by Catalina's story (one way) to help.

As for the gnome's whale... I actually hadn't pictured him as being that constantly in game, but I understand how it maybe too exotic.



I understand your reasoning for your attempt, though I admit neither struck me as particularly exotic given that this is a fantasy world. However, like you said, easily fixed . Scratch the critters.

Actually my reason for putting up both options publicaly was to find the 'better fit' so there would be no inner party conflict. I actually scrapped a half orc idea for that very reason realizing Agnes, being a dwarf, might have a problem with letting one on, and the humans not much more trusting..and understandably so.



I know how that goes.



My apologies for the inconvenience. I had made a half orc before realizing the problem he might cause and then removed him from consideration. Instead I posted monday night (Technically Tuesday morning) hoping to give plenty of time for responses. That failed, so my apologies. My asking for opinions in general was actually meant to help prevent party disharmony so I could see which ones players thought would be a better smoother fit.


In the interest of speed, and so not to slow the game down any, I'll go with Delnarith. He has gear and equipment, and I don't think he'll clash too much with anyone. He got along well enough with his last party IIRC.